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Gasly not giving up on Red Bull: 'I deserved a better chance'

Pierre Gasly says his goal in F1 remains to return to Red Bull Racing in the future, insisting that his current results with AlphaTauri warranted another chance with the senior bull squad.

Since his demotion to the energy drink company's B-team mid-way through the 2019 season, Gasly's trajectory has consistently trended upward.

In addition to his shock win at the Italian Grand Prix in 2020, the Frenchman has regularly exceeded expectations while outperforming his teammates.

Yet, his performance level and impressive results were not enough to earn him a second chance with Red Bull, with the team confirming in August the presence of Sergio Perez alongside Max Verstappen for 2022.

Gasly admitted at the time to being disappointed by Red Bull's decision, but the 25-year-old isn't giving up on his ambitions of racing once again for the Milton-Keynes-based outfit.

"To put everything back into the right space, nothing was related to Sergio," Gasly explained in Turkey, addressing once again Red Bull's decision and his future prospects.

"It's more about my case and the relationship that I have with Red Bull, for my personal contract and my future, so I just [wanted] to mention that.

"I think I performed at a very good level at Toro Rosso, better than I did in 2018 when I was given the opportunity. I'm performing at a better level and I'm more experienced.

"I felt that based on this year, I could have deserved a better chance, but that's the decision. It doesn't stop my motivation.
"I've been in Sergio's position. Obviously, from a career perspective, my goal is to be at Red Bull, and there is no surprise in that.

"I want to be in a car that will allow me to fight for wins and podiums, and that will always be the target, because that's what I am working for every morning, working on myself, trying to be a better driver to win races.

"They made a decision, and I'm happy for them that they're having a very successful season. I'll keep pushing and try to get my chance in the future, because that's what I want. I want to fight for world championships."

Read also: Perez conscious of need to 'put it together' for Red Bull

Looking ahead to this weekend's round of racing at Istanbul Park, Gasly is buoyed by AlphaTauri's pace of late but underscored the need for perfect execution.

"I'm confident in terms of pace," he commented. "We were fast in Sochi, it wasn't a pace problem.

"Things were similar in Monza, and for other factors we didn't execute the best job at the two weekends, but the pace was there, so I'm confident we're going to be competitive.

"We just need to execute everything perfectly on our side in terms of operations, strategy... [and] have a clean weekend, and I'm sure we can come out with some good points."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.